Catalog 2010-2011 [v2] [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Clinical Psychology: PsyD, San Francisco
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A Practitioner Program
The PsyD program has full accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; Phone: 202-336-5979; Email: apaaccred@apa.org). It is a practitioner program and was initiated at the San Francisco campus in the fall of 1991. The goal of the program is to educate professional clinical psychologists who bring critical thinking and active problem solving skills to bear on human problems. Students are educated and trained to be able to intervene effectively using multiple methods of assessment and intervention, working with diverse populations, across many settings, and in changing and evolving contexts. We are a practitioner program that follows the Local Clinical Scientist Model. This model focuses on applying empirically derived knowledge to work with individuals, families, groups, and local communities. The model also utilizes practice based evidence to enhance assessments and interventions.
The PsyD program subscribes to the belief that effective professional psychologists must be aware of and responsive to the broader social and cultural contexts in which they function. Thus, students must attain proficiency in providing services to individuals of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. To achieve this goal, we infuse multiculturalism throughout our entire curriculum, offer courses focusing on diverse populations, and provide clinical training experiences that provide exposure to a range of populations.
Beginning in the first year, professional training placements are required to integrate classroom learning with practical experience. In the second year, PsyD students begin work on their clinical dissertations and are encouraged to complete their dissertation proposal by the end of their second year. Passing all preliminary examination subtests is required for advancement to doctoral candidacy. While continuing to integrate the skills and knowledge acquired in the first two years, students in the third year begin to focus more intensively on professional skills and more advanced professional training experiences. Also, work on the PsyD clinical dissertation proceeds. The PsyD dissertation is meant to demonstrate the student’s ability to think critically about clinical and social issues and to make appropriate use of scientific knowledge and psychological research in professional practice. The dissertation may be an interpretive study involving a synthesis and analysis of existing literature relevant to a clinical problem and requiring the development of the student’s own ideas as to how the existing knowledge can be used to enhance clinical work. Other types of clinical dissertations include case studies, surveys, program evaluations, educational or clinical interventions, quantitative studies, and correlational studies on clinical variables. The program is designed to allow students to work toward completion of the dissertation in the third year prior to beginning the fourth year internship.
The standard PsyD curriculum is four years, but students may extend their time to take additional courses, complete research work, or spread their internship over two years. Approximately 35% complete the program in four years, while 65% elect to extend their education and training to five or more years.
Program Competency Objectives
The CSPP San Francisco PsyD program has six specific training objectives designed to develop students and graduates who:
1. Are well grounded in the science of psychology.
2. Demonstrate competence in (a) relationship, (b) assessment, (c) intervention, (d) research and evaluation, and (e) broader professional roles, including consultation, education, management, and supervision.
3. Have the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to function professionally in a multicultural society.
4. Have professional problem-solving skills and attitudes essential for lifelong learning and scholarly inquiry.
5. Use ethical principles and legal standards as guides for professional practice, and use self-evaluation as a basis for professional growth.
6. Are able to intervene, using multiple methods, with diverse populations across many settings and in changing and evolving contexts.
These competencies are formally and continually assessed within the framework of each didactic or experiential training component. Assessment tools include evaluations from instructional courses, doctoral dissertation evaluations, on-site practicum and internship evaluations, on-campus reviews of practicum and internship evaluations by the Office of Professional Training, the Professional Training Committee and PsyD faculty, Preliminary Examinations, and a Clinical Proficiency Progress Review Examinations. Also, the program engages in self-assessment to ensure that these competency objectives are met.
Professional Training
The selection of professional training (practicum) placements for each student is guided by:
• CSPP’s requirement for a broad range of diverse and rigorous professional training experiences;
• CSPP’s commitment to education and training in multicultural competence;
• The rules and regulations of the California Board of Psychology, the body charged with the licensing of psychologists in the State of California; and
• The American Psychological Association’s criteria for practicum and internship training.
A hallmark of the professional training program is the strong relationship maintained between CSPP and a host of agencies offering practicum and internship training. The primary criteria used in selection and approval of placements are the quality and rigor of the training experience and the supervision provided for the student. Special features offered by the clinical program include:
• Supervisors experienced in a range of ethnically and culturally diverse populations;
• Supervisors utilizing a range of theory and techniques (including psychodynamic insight-oriented, cognitive-behavioral, and family systems theory and practice);
• Child-family forensic practice and settings;
• Placements that provide excellent opportunities for research in community mental health and medical settings.
An important feature of the program is the process used to match students with professional training field placements that enable students to acquire and develop professional skills in their desired area(s) of interest. Students and professional training agencies engage in a carefully organized selection process in order to facilitate the most appropriate training opportunities while also providing each community agency with valuable and appropriate service. Faculty members maintain ongoing relationships with the professional training agencies, while students participate in clinical and ethical issues seminars that parallel their practica experiences. PsyD students engage in supervised practica experiences in the first, second and third years of their program. At the same time, students participate in a professional development seminar in the first year, in courses that focus on theories and techniques in psychotherapy as well as clinical and ethical issues in the second year, and in an advanced clinical seminar in the third year. Students gain strong professional practice skills prior to graduation by the integration of professional training in the classroom with competent supervised professional experience in field placements.
Because of CSPP’s large network of affiliated agencies, the school can offer professional training placements in community mental health clinics, hospitals and neuropsychiatric institutions, child guidance clinics, college counseling centers, residential treatment centers, forensic settings, pediatric psychology programs, school-based child treatment settings, and a host of other settings as well. The San Francisco campus places students in agencies throughout Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano counties. Additional placements are located in some counties outside the immediate Bay Area, including Napa, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, San Benito, and Yolo counties. Students should not count on stipends to finance their studies because they are modest and relatively scarce, particularly at the practica level.
Students typically begin the required internship in their fourth year. Full-time internship options include APA-accredited or APPIC-member training programs, pursued through the national selection process, or local internship programs approved by CSPP faculty and the California Psychology Internship Council (CAPIC). Students have the option of completing the internship requirement in two years of sequenced half-time internship rotations in local internship programs approved by CSPP faculty and the California Psychology Internship Council (CAPIC).
Credit for Previous Graduate Work
Entering students may be eligible to receive transfer credit for previous graduate work up to a maximum of 30 units.
1. To be considered for transfer credits, courses must have been taken in a regionally-accredited graduate program within the seven years prior to entering CSPP. Only courses with grades of B or better will be considered.
2. Coursework will be evaluated carefully to determine comparability to specific PsyD program requirements. Both content and number of units will be considered, and a course can be used only once for purposes of transfer credit. For some courses, additional information, such as syllabi, copies of papers written for the course, and test batteries are required to determine equivalency. To provide necessary information for timely evaluation, applicants must provide copies of graduate course syllabi and other supporting materials if available at the time of application or when coming to campus for an admissions interview.
3. The following PsyD program requirements will be considered for credit for previous work: Social Bases of Behavior; Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Behavior; Biological Bases of Behavior and Psychopharmacology; Human Development; History and Systems; Advanced Psychopathology; Observation and Interviewing; Theory & Technique of Clinical Practice (3 units); Intellectual Assessment.
4. In addition, students who have met the following requirements may be able to receive 2 units of transfer credits for the required first year practicum. To do so, they must submit proof of their master’s degree and supervised practicum hours. For those who receive this credit, the zero-unit Introduction to Professional Psychology course will be waived.
A. Either have completed a master’s degree in psychology or a closely related field or be currently enrolled in an APA-accredited doctoral program. (Examples of closely related fields include counseling, social work, school psychology, educational psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology or experimental psychology).
B. Have completed and be able to verify 300 hours of supervised practicum or professional experience of a psychological nature.
A student receiving more than nine units of transfer credit into the program is not eligible to apply for a master’s degree from Alliant while en route to the doctoral degree.
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Coursework
The PsyD program requires a minimum of 90 academic units (92 for the Forensic Family/Child Track) and 30 internship units. A minimum of 60 academic units is required pre-candidacy (first/second years) and a minimum of 30 academic units and 30 internship units is required postcandidacy (third/fourth years). Note(s):
Students have the option of completing the internship requirement in two years of sequential, half-time internship rotations in local agencies Students who fail the writing placement exam must complete a semester-long writing workshop.
Other Requirements
Preliminary Examinations – 2 subtests taken at end of second year, required for advancement to candidacy.
Clinical Proficiency Progress Review, taken at the end of the third year, must be passed before graduation.
30 hours of personal psychotherapy with a doctoral level licensed clinician is required before graduation.
The clinical Dissertation must be completed before graduation. Note(s):
See section below for modifications of the requirements shown above for students in Child and Family Track and Forensic Family/Child Track. Tracks
The PsyD program requires a solid foundation in the theory and practice of clinical psychology for all students. Therefore, the initial phases of the curriculum address the basic areas of clinical psychology consistent with the guidelines of the American Psychological Association. Building upon this strong foundation, students may select coursework from Tracks or Emphasis Areas to begin preparation for their future professional roles. Tracks and Emphasis Areas focus on one or more of the following variables: special populations, specific problems, identified theories and techniques, and special settings. As described below, Tracks involve a greater commitment and more specialized training than do Emphasis Areas.
The San Francisco campus offers two Tracks within the Clinical PsyD program:
- Child and Family Psychology Track
- Forensic Family/Child Psychology Track
Child and Family Psychology Track
The Child and Family Track is designed for PsyD students who specifically intend to dedicate their careers to working primarily or exclusively with children, adolescents and their families. In the Child and Family Track, about 50 percent of the student’s coursework and field training focuses on child and family issues, with the remainder focusing on adult-clinical and general psychology.
Applicants interested in being considered for the PsyD Child and Family Track will indicate their interest at the time of application. Those unable to be accommodated in the track due to space limitations will be considered for the Family/Child Emphasis Area in the general PsyD program. Students start in the track during the first semester and commit to being in the track for their entire graduate program. If students’ career goals change, they must formally petition to transfer out of the track.
Students in this track have the same graduation requirements as those for the clinical PsyD program with the following modifications. In the first year, track students take designated sections with an enhanced focus on child and adolescent issues in Observation and Interviewing, Intellectual Assessment, Advanced Psychopathology and a course focused on child development in the family life cycle (to meet the human development requirement). Also, they must complete the first-year Practicum in a Child/Family setting. In the second year, track students take designated sections of Clinical and Ethical Issues and Psychodiagnostic Assessment. To meet the first and second year Theory and Technique of Clinical Practice requirement, track students take a child therapy course in year one and a family therapy course in year two.
In the third year, track students take specified sections of the Advanced Clinical Seminar and complete at least three units of the Advanced Clinical Skills requirement and at least two of the four units of the Supervision/Consultation/Management requirement from Child/Family selections. Either the second or third year practicum must be in a Child/Family setting involving families, children, or adolescents. The internship for Child/Family Track students must be in a setting where at 50 percent of clients served are children, adolescents or families. Also, the student’s clinical dissertation must focus on a Child/Family topic. Forensic Family/Child Psychology Track
The Forensic Family/Child Track is designed for PsyD students whose career goals are to specialize in forensic and clinical work with children, adolescents and their families. A substantial portion of the students’ training will focus on psychological services to families and children and on the legal contexts in which these clients are involved, with the remainder focusing on adult-clinical and general psychology.
Applicants must indicate their interest in the PsyD Forensic Family/Child Track at the time of application. Space is limited, but those unable to be accommodated will be considered for the Family/Child Emphasis and can pursue forensic work through electives. The track begins in the first semester and students are committed to remain in it until completion of the program. If students’ career goals change, they must formally petition to transfer out of the track.
Students in this track have the same graduation requirements as other clinical PsyD students, with the following modifications. In the first two years, track students take designated sections in Observation and Interviewing, Intellectual Assessment, Advanced Psychopathology, Clinical and Ethical Issues, and Psychodiagnostic Assessment. These designated sections offer track students an enhanced focus on forensic and family/child issues. Track students complete the first-year practicum in a child-related setting. Track students must take a child therapy course in the first year and a family therapy course in the second year to meet the Theory and Technique of Clinical Intervention requirements. A course focused on children’s development in the family life cycle must be taken in the first year to fulfill the human development requirement. Track students also take a two-unit course entitled “Clinical Psychology and Law.”
In the third year, track students take designated sections of Advanced Clinical Seminar. They complete the advanced clinical skills and the supervision/management/consultation requirements through the following specific courses: Court Consultation and Expert Witnessing; Disability, Law and Families; Legal Competencies; Families and Violence; and Child Custody Evaluation and Mediation. Either the second or third year practicum must be in a forensic setting involving families, children or adolescents. The fourth year internship for Forensic Family/Child Track students must be in a setting where at least 25 percent of the work is in a forensic context with families, children, or adolescents. The student’s clinical dissertation must focus on a forensic family/child topic. Emphasis Areas
The San Francisco campus offers five Emphasis Areas within the Clinical PsyD:
- Family/Child Psychology
- Gender Studies (Psychology of Women, Men, Gender Roles and Sexual Orientation)
- Health Psychology
- Multicultural and Community Psychology
- Adult Psychotherapy
Students may affiliate with one or more emphasis areas, but are not required to do so. Approximately one-fifth of the students pursue a general program with no emphasis area affiliation. Students may also take electives from the organizational psychology program on a space-available basis.
Completion of an emphasis area includes an introductory class and specified sections of certain required courses in the first two years of the program, choices of emphasis area electives and electives in the later years of the program, a portion of the professional training experience (practicum/internship), and choice of dissertation topic. Students have the option of extending their doctoral program beyond the standard years to pursue additional emphasis area electives, clinical training, or research opportunities. Emphasis areas are subject to change, and new emphasis areas may be developed. Family/Child Psychology Emphasis Area
The Family/Child Emphasis Area is designed for PsyD students who have significant career interests in working with families, couples, children and adolescents, but who do not intend to specialize primarily or exclusively in working with child or adolescent populations. In the emphasis area, about 20 percent of the student’s coursework and field training typically focuses on family/child issues.
Students in the Family/Child Emphasis Area learn to provide a wide range of services including family therapy, child/adolescent therapy, child and family assessment, couples therapy and community consultation. Special offerings include training in child custody evaluation, treatment of family violence and treatment of diverse populations of couples and families. The general orientation of the faculty integrates family systems and life-span individual development in the multicultural context.
Some major interests of the faculty include: family interaction and child psychopathology; healthy/competent families; gender and interaction in couples and families; couples’ transition to parenthood; family and couples therapy process and outcome; Asian families; marital violence; child abuse; divorced and remarried families; family/law interface; interracial adoption; physical disability and family relations; lesbian/gay family issues; attachment throughout the life cycle; play therapy; narrative and solution-focused therapy; family and couples assessment; adults’ caregiving of elderly parents; and families and health. Gender Studies Emphasis Area (Psychology of Women, Men, Gender Roles and Sexual Orientations)
The Gender Studies Emphasis Area unites students, faculty and other members of the mental health community who hold a common interest in the psychology of women, men, gender roles and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues. This emphasis area sponsors courses, colloquia, forums, advisement, clinical field placements and research opportunities on these topics. The theoretical orientation of faculty members incorporates feminist, psychodynamic, family systems and social psychological concepts.
One focus of this emphasis area is how gender role norms, socialization experiences and social inequality in work and family life shape the lives of adult women and girls, as well as men and boys, in contemporary society. We are particularly interested in the mental health consequences of these social forces (for example, in problem areas such as eating disorders, depression, substance abuse and domestic violence). Faculty members are involved in developing effective clinical services for women and men and producing psychological theory and research that accurately reflects women’s and men’s lives. Research interests of faculty include social construction of gender, women’s lifespan development, teen pregnancy, role strain for working women and masculinity norms in different racial/ethnic/social class groups.
Another focus of this emphasis area is sexual orientation. Through curriculum, field placements and research students will learn about the lives and mental health needs of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people. Faculty have research interests in gay/lesbian couples, relationships to family of origin and family of choice, parenting, identity, effects of homophobia, and developmental issues across the lifespan. Faculty members are involved in creating gay affirmative clinical services and HIV prevention programs. San Francisco provides unique opportunities for clinical and research projects on these topics. Health Psychology Emphasis Area
Health psychology is concerned with psychological factors related to health, illness, the health care system, health care policy, and health care providers. Students in the Health Psychology Emphasis Area are introduced to this emerging field which deals with the important psychological, behavioral and social concomitants of physical symptoms, chronic and life threatening illness and rehabilitation. Faculty have interests in behavioral medicine, family systems medicine, consultation-liaison psychology, psychology’s role in primary care, psychoneuroendocrinology, psychopharmacology and the role of psychology in prevention and treatment of specific illnesses (cardiac disease, AIDS, cancer), health care policy, rehabilitation and disability.
Students combine relevant core or elective coursework, professional training placements and research which develop knowledge, attitudes and skills in preparation for advanced specialized education and training in postdoctoral programs and/or entry level positions in health psychology. Examples of health psychology courses include Introduction to Health Psychology, Clinical Medicine, Medical Family Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches in Health Psychology, Consultation in Health Settings, Neuropsychology, Psychopharmacology, Managed Care, Gerontology, Psychosocial Oncology, Pediatric Psychology, Biofeedback, and Hypnosis. Multicultural and Community Emphasis Area
The Multicultural and Community Emphasis Area provides course offerings that integrate knowledge, research and intervention skills necessary for working with multicultural groups. Classes include core, elective and independent study combined with multicultural professional training placements and internship training sites, as well as relevant research activities. Course offerings and areas of focus complement existing emphasis areas so that students can combine the multicultural and community emphasis with another emphasis area (e.g., ethnic minority families, substance abuse among ethnic minority adolescents, or health and mental health services utilization among Chinese Americans). Enrollment in research proposal design seminars and collaboration on dissertation research is encouraged. Students are also urged to develop skills in working with one or more multicultural groups, including the capability to use languages other than English, thereby enhancing the provision of psychological services and information. Adult Psychotherapy Emphasis Area
Our special strength in the Adult Psychotherapy Emphasis Area is our respect for and dialogue about the major orientations in the field today: psychodynamic, family systems, and cognitive behavioral. Faculty are conversant in these three orientations, as reflected in their research, practice and teaching. In addition, many core and most adjunct faculty maintain a current psychotherapy practice and are able to bring immediacy to their teaching about psychotherapy.
Students choose this emphasis area because they want adult psychotherapy to be the major area of their professional identity and practice. The curriculum includes basic and advanced courses in assessment, formulation and treatment planning. Later in their program, students can take more specialized courses in one theoretical orientation, which includes the opportunity to present and discuss their current clinical work. Field placements include opportunities for a wide variety of populations, problems and settings in which adult psychotherapy is practiced. Clinical PsyD Program Faculty: San Francisco
Core faculty for the San Francisco PsyD program are listed below:
Diane Adams, PhD, Associate Professor
Stephen Blum, PhD, Professor
Edward Bourg, PhD, Professor
Alison Cerezo, PhD, Assistant Professor
Tai Chang, PhD, Associate Professor
Eddie Yu-Wai Chiu, PhD, Assistant Professor
Michael Connor, PhD, Professor
Harriet Curtis-Boles, PhD, Professor
Samuel Gerson, PhD, Professor
Frederick Heide, PhD, Associate Professor
Valata Jenkins-Monroe, PhD, Professor and Program Director
Gerald Michaels, PhD, Associate Professor
Valory Mitchell, PhD, Professor
Yuki Okubo, PhD, Assistant Professor
Rhoda Olkin, PhD, Distinguished Professor
Elena Padrón, PhD, Assistant Professor
Patrick Petti, PhD, Assistant Professor
Alan Swope, PhD, Professor
Daniel Taube, PhD, JD, Professor
Randall Wyatt, PhD, Director of Professional Training and Associate Professor
For a detailed description of program faculty background and research interests, please see the alphabetical listing of faculty for the California School of Professional Psychology. APA Education and Training Outcomes
The CSPP San Francisco Clinical Psychology PsyD program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) (202-336-5979) and publishes the following outcome data as required by APA:
- Time to Completion
- Program Costs
- Internship Placement Rates
- Attrition
- Licensure
Please visit the “About CSPP Programs” section of our website (www.alliant.edu/cspp) to view this data. |
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